Tango is not only a fascinating dance, but also a fascinating idea, philosophy, culture, and lifestyle. In many ways, tango is a metaphor of life. The pursuit of tango is the pursuit of connection, love, unity, beauty, harmony and humanity, i.e., an idealism that is not consistent with the dehumanizing reality of the modern world. The world divides us as individuals, but tango unites us as a people and species. In tango we are not individualists, feminists, nationalists, liberals, conservatives, Democrats, Republicans, etc., but interconnected and interdependent members of the human family. We are humanists. Tango calls us to tear down the walls, to build bridges, and to regain humanity through connection, cooperation, reconciliation and compromise. If you share this conviction, please join the conversation and let your voice be heard, which is urgently needed and long overdue.

Together we can awaken the world.

January 21, 2015

Thetwopartners in tango play
different roles in correspondence with their respective gender. Gender roles are violated, for
example, when the woman refuses to surrender, when she neglects her
duty to make the man feel comfortable,when
she resists him with disobedience, when she interferes with his lead or initiate her own steps, when the man fails to protect the
woman, when he coerces her with force, when he does not follow the music, when
he shines himself instead of her, etc. Unfortunately,such things frequently happen in our milongas.

Onereasonforthat
is we do not teach gender roles. Unlike in
Argentina, in this country we do not usethe words "men" and "women" in our tango instructions. Instead,weuse
the gender-neutral terms "leaders" and "followers", and we allow either gender to play either role with absolutely no knowledge of what that role is about and how to play it. In our "politically correct" way of thinking, everyone is a gender-neutral person. We do not train students to function as men or women,to be masculine or feminine, and to be attractive to the opposite sex. We only teach them mechanical movements. There is no role play, no passion, no emotional involvement, no masculinity and femininity, no seduction, and even no bodily contact. Consequently, our tango lacks what tango actually is. It
becomes a gender-neutral dance.

However, inArgentina where men are much more masculine and women are much more feminine, tangoisexactlythe opposite of a gender-neutral dance. Argentine tango is a passionate and elaborate display of masculinity and femininity. It highlights rather than hides the characteristics and functions of the opposite sexes.Itfulfills
the need for intimacy between men and women through close embrace and intimate bodily contact. It is a sensual and seductive dance. (See The Gender Expression in Tango.)As fashionable as it is totransformgender rolesinthe US,this fact remains unchanged: no one canbe at his/her best againstnature. Frankly, a woman is too
feminine to be a leader. She simply cannot be as masculine as the leader must
be, and function as a man must function to a woman, regardless of how technically
adequate she can lead. Likewise,a
man is too masculine to be a follower. He simply cannot be as feminine as the
follower must be, and function as a woman must function to a man, regardless of
how technically adequate he cam follow. Tango is not just lead and follow. It is the interaction between the two sexes. Without masculinity and femininity, tango loses its charm and splendor.

So,what are the roles of men and
womenintango,and how different these roles are?

Menin general arephysicallytaller,stronger, firmer and more
dependablethan women. They also havea psyche different from that of womendue to men's hunting nature formed in the millions of years of human evolution through natural selection, such as their need for taking initiatives, subduing, conquering, keeping under control, and protecting
their loved ones, etc. Naturally, men assume the masculine role in tango as they do
in life.The followingare the functions of men's role in
tango:

1.Leading the woman.For the couple to dance in unison, their actionsmust agree. For this to happen, only
one personmust take the lead,and the other must follow. In tango,themanleads thewomen.He does so not by force, but by
showing an intention of how he wants her to move with his torso
that she in his embrace can feel. He then matches her response to complete the lead.

2. Plotting the dance. In tango, the man dances around the floor and the woman dances around the man. The woman may beautify the dance with her colorful footwork, but she cannot plot the dance and change the choreography. That responsibility lies in the man, who must make the dance interesting, diversified and well-arranged, so that it may bring the woman's feminine beauty into full play.

3.Supporting her.The manmustbe supportive to the woman.Althoughsheis
liable for keeping her own balance, in actual dancing she often needs his help, especially if she is a less experienced dancer. The manmustbethe pillar for her, supporting her with his body to help keeping her balanced and
executing her steps.He
must be as stable as a refrigerator. Any unsteadiness and unbalance on his part will shake her trust and confidence.

4.Timing her steps to the music.The manmust leadthe woman dance to the music. His musicality is the most important element in leading. He must not stick in the figure that he is leading and forget about the music. He
must not just pay attention to his own timing and forget about hers. Rather, he must focus on timing her steps to themusic, even that may mean that he has to be a little bit off beat sometimes, because he dances for her.

5.Shiningher.Agentlemanmakes the womanshining in his company.He leadsher to dancein such a way that fully reveals her
femininebeauty. (See Revealing Her Beauty in Tango.) He makes her, rather than himself, the center of attention. He does notshow off over her for
self-glorification and leave her eclipsed.

6. Protecting her.Agentlemanisvery
protective of the woman. Hemust
prevent her from being bumped,kickedorstepped on by others.He mustcomply with navigation rules and respect the line of dance, keep a distance from others, halt when
necessary and not run into people, andhe
must not lead steps that may hurt her or others. (See Spot Dancing in Tango.)

7. Pampering her.It is not manly to berudeandsavageto a woman. A gentleman treats the woman with respect,admirationandattentiveness. He leads her carefully, patiently, tenderly and protectively.
He makes herfeel pamperedin his arms and fully enjoy
dancing with him. (SeeMen's Common Mistakes in Tango.)

In contrast, women in general do
not havethe buildand strength of men. They are smaller, shorter, lighter, softer, more flexible, beautiful and delicate. In addition, they have a psychology different from men due to
women's reproductive nature, such as their need of beauty (to attract male), affection, submission and security, which are also the results of millions of years of human evolution through natural selection. (See Femininity and Feminism in Tango (II).) Consequently, women assume the feminine role in tango as they do in life. The following are the functions of women's role in tango:

1. Complete surrender.The woman must entrust
herself tothe man. She must let
go her ego, relax her body, settle comfortably in his arms, be obedient, andmove in unison with him. By her
surrender she dispelshis
misgiving and gives him permission to be her leader. Just like when a baby is born the young parents suddenly become grownups, she makes him a man by being a woman.

2.Followinghis lead.Shemust be calmand unhurried,wait for his signal to tell her how to
move, and follow the lead one step at a time. She must not act on her own,
initiate the step, orinterfere
with hislead. (See Women's Common Mistakes in Tango.) While beingobedient, however, she must remain an active part of the dance. Following is not passively responding. It is a dynamic action that takes wit, ingenuity and creativeness. (See Activity and Passivity in Tango.)

3.Beinglight and agile. She must relax her body and make herself light and easy for him to lead. She must not put too much weight on the man and become a burden to him. She must keep her own balance, not grab or hang on him for stability, or wrestle with him. She must be sensitive to his lead and ready to respond
at all time. And, she must move dexterously.

4.Keeping herownbeat and expressing the emotions of the music.An experienced woman follows intuitively so she can concentrate on the music instead of the lead.
The man does his part to lead her dance to the music, but hecan onlydo so by his own interpretation and prediction. As a resulthe may not be one hundred
percent accurate at all time.The
woman mustlisten to the music, be
responsible for micro-adjusting her steps to the beat and expressing the feelings of the music. A good follower can dance to music creatively while remain in perfect unison with the man.

5.Complementing the man.Ashis partnershemust
helphim, bring out his strengths and compensate for his weaknesses. She excites him with her femininity. She dances in such a way
that is light, inspiring and contagious. She supports him when he loses his balance, keeps the beat when he is off time, slows him down if he
rushes, and warns him if he is to run into others. She helps to maintain the coherence and oneness of the dance.

6.Beautifying thedance.A woman is a natural
beautician and decorator. The man leads the dance, but it is the woman who
shines the dance with her flexible body, beautiful footwork and sparkling embellishments. A
goodfollower, however,does not interfere withthelead. She remains in unison with the man while beautifying the dance.

7.Being a woman.The woman must not dance as a mechanical follower, but as a woman.She must let the man feel comfortable holding her in his arms. She must willingly show her female softness, flexibility, grace and seductiveness. She understands that her womanhood, femininity and gentle softness are the reason why he enjoys dancing with her rather than with a man. By being a woman, she can bring out the best in a man and be rewarded fully as a
result. (SeeWomen's Common Mistakes in Tango andThe Thirteenth Pitfall of A Tanguera.)